This day in history

Claiming his right to the English throne, William, Duke of Normandy, begins his invasion of England at Pevensey.

William was the cousin of Edward the Confessor, the king of England who died without children in 1066. Fifteen years earlier, Edward had allegedly designated William his heir, but the royal council elected the powerful noble Harold Godwin to be king upon Edward’s death. On 14 October, 1066, William met Harold at the Battle of Hastings, where the king was killed and his forces defeated. On Christmas Day, William the Conqueror was crowned the first Norman king of England and the English language and culture were changed forever.

In Britain, former Conservative minister Edwina Currie reveals that she had an affair with former Prime Minister John Major. 

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestine Liberation Organisation leader Yasser Arafat sign an agreement which gives the Palestinian Authority control of the West Bank.

As part of the Great Northern War, the Russian Army of Peter the Great defeats the Swedes at the Battle of Lesnaya in modern day Belarus.

Henry I of England defeats his brother Robert Curthose, the Duke of Normandy, at the Battle of Tinchebray in Normandy.

Upon landing in Egypt, Roman general and politician Pompey is murdered on the orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt.